Salesforce Features
Winter '08 Release
Introducing the Winter '08 Release...
Build and Run Any Application on the World’s First Platform as a Service
Introducing Force.com, the world’s only platform as a service that lets you build any application, any database, any logic, and run it all on demand on salesforce.com’s trusted, secure infrastructure.
The World’s First Multi-Category, Multi-Application SaaS Company
With Winter ’08, salesforce.com is the first company to deliver multiple categories of applications on demand. Built on the Force.com platform, Winter ’08 delivers the future of on-demand today, with new levels of usability, CRM functionality, and innovative new applications.
Introducing the Winter '08 Release...
Build and Run Any Application on the World’s First Platform as a Service
Introducing Force.com, the world’s only platform as a service that lets you build any application, any database, any logic, and run it all on demand on salesforce.com’s trusted, secure infrastructure.
The World’s First Multi-Category, Multi-Application SaaS Company
With Winter ’08, salesforce.com is the first company to deliver multiple categories of applications on demand. Built on the Force.com platform, Winter ’08 delivers the future of on-demand today, with new levels of usability, CRM functionality, and innovative new applications.
Force.com Metadata API enhancements
More Power and Flexibility in Configuring Salesforce
Developer Preview
- Use the Force.com metadata API to read setup configuration from any Salesforce instance
- Write setup changes to Developer Edition and Force.com Sandbox environments
The Force.com metadata API opens the door to new ways of interacting with setup and customization information for Force.com applications. This enables better developer tool experiences, team development systems, and change management processes. The Winter ’08 release offers metadata access to a subset of platform features including custom fields, custom objects, profiles, Apex code, Visualforce pages, and s-controls.
Visualforce
Create Any User Interface as a Service
- Customize the user interface for any Salesforce application
- Build new user interfaces and experiences for custom applications
- Design your own wizards
Note: Visualforce is available as a developer preview with Salesforce Winter ’08 and will not be generally available with this release. Visualforce is currently available in English only.
A breakthrough for the Force.com platform, Visualforce is a new technology that lets you design any user interface for Salesforce applications and custom applications. It’s everything a developer needs to build rich, interactive applications and user experiences for a variety of audiences, applications, and devices. With Visualforce, developers can build any user interface on demand so you’re finally free to reinvent traditional Salesforce interfaces or create new ones for your custom applications.
Group Tasks
New Levels of Management Efficiency and Consistency
All Editions
- Empower managers to assign tasks to teams
- Increase usability of task assignment
- Run your entire business with greater efficiency
Tasks are one of the most powerful tools available to managers and employees using Salesforce. With Winter ’08 tasks are even more powerful thanks to the new ability to assign a task to a group of users. Managers can quickly assign work to a team using a streamlined user interface.
Apex Email Services
Advanced Logic for Automated Email Processing
Developer Preview
- Automate key sales, marketing, and support processes via email
- Manage email messages in a way that matches your business processes
Expand the power of email approvals with Apex email services. With this new feature, entirely new levels of process automation can be achieved—all of it activated by email. You can define Apex code to process inbound email messages to Salesforce or Force.com apps so that your users can use email to do things like create or update records, mark tasks as complete, and much more.
Inline Editing
Make Field Changes with Fewer Clicks
All Editions
- Edit fields directly on detail pages
- Reduce the number of clicks needed to edit information
- Increase data quality, user adoption, and productivity
Note: This feature is disabled by default and requires administrator activation in the set up area of Salesforce (Customize | User Interface).
Inline editing is a powerful new Web 2.0 technology that improves usability in all Salesforce, AppExchange, and Force.com applications. With Winter ’08, users can click on a field to edit it directly from the detail page, saving several steps and valuable time in entering and updating information in Salesforce. This leap forward in usability brings the best of new consumer Web features to corporate users. Like all Force.com features, inline editing is available in all Salesforce applications.
Salesforce to Salesforce
Shared Data and Processes for Companies that Both Use Salesforce
Requires an Additional Fee
- Instantly connect with other companies (business partners, suppliers, and customers) via Salesforce
- Easily opt in and out of cross-company data sharing
- Share leads, opportunities, or any custom object
One of the questions most commonly asked by salesforce.com customers is: How do I securely and easily share data with another company that is also using Salesforce? How do I coordinate with other companies we do business with on revenue-sensitive business processes? It’s all possible with Salesforce to Salesforce, new with Winter ’08. Salesforce to Salesforce is a powerful new service that enables companies to efficiently connect and exchange data with their partners within the Salesforce application. Salesforce to Salesforce provides secure, customizable, and efficient data sharing through point-and-click connection.
Automated System Log
Consolidated Visibility into the Execution of All Your Business Rules
Professional, Enterprise, and Unlimited Editions
- View a real-time trace of automated processes
- See behind-the-scenes details of Apex code, validation rules, and workflow
Your users rely on the power of Force.com’s workflow, validation rules, and Apex code. The Force.com system log allows you to quickly and easily analyze the execution of these powerful automated processes directly within Salesforce. View log information for specific users to troubleshoot their specific processes. Now you’re in control of everything that happens in your Salesforce instance.
Personal Tagging
Organize Your Information with Web 2.0-Style Tagging
All Editions
- Personalize data organization and list management
- Tag records across multiple objects
- Increase user productivity with faster and easier navigation
Taking the best of the consumer Web and bringing it to Salesforce, users can assign their own terms or “tags” to records in Salesforce. This powerful capability helps users define what is relevant to them about a record and use the information to quickly find these items later. For example, a large opportunity or lead could be tagged “Big Deal” or a set of related support solutions, cases, and documents could be grouped with a common tag.
Opportunity Rollups
Consolidated Visibility for Complex Opportunities
Professional, Enterprise, and Unlimited Editions, Except as Noted
- Easily aggregate opportunity line item information in an opportunity
- Display Total line item discounting for opportunities
Many organizations manage multiple opportunity line items within a single opportunity. With Winter ’08 organizations have the ability to aggregate multiple opportunity line items within an opportunity to determine the number of line items or the sum, maximum value, or minimum value of a specific line item field.
